Wu Tang Clan’s GZA gives fans chance to rap on his album

Pitchfork reports that the hip-hop star is inviting people to record a video of themselves rapping his 1995 track ‘Liquid Swords’, uploading it to Vimeo and posting it on his new website TheGZA.com, which is launched next week.

He will then pick the winner of the ‘Duel of the Iron Mic’, and give them a guest spot on one of his LPs in the future. Talking about the scheme, he said: “This contest was inspired by my countless tours all over the world where I would see my fans, many of them non-English speakers, reciting every lyric of the song back to me. It’s become clear to me that my music is appealing to a whole new generation: I’ve had a bunch of people tell me that they first heard my album because their parents listened to it.

“That might make some artists feel old but I’m happy that my music is still relevant today,” he added. “I am honoured that ‘Liquid Swords’ the song and album have been so widely embraced for so long. This contest is one way of giving back to my fans, of letting them share their take on the record.”

Recently, however, he indicated that it would be some time before the Wu Tang Clan released a new album, telling Rolling Stone that they “haven’t been on the same page in years”. “It is what it is. Sometimes that match burns out… I don’t feel bad about it,” he added. “It’s good. I’m grateful for everything we have done throughout our careers and if there’s nothing else to put out, then there’s nothing to put out.”

GZA released his last studio solo album, ‘Pro Tools’, in 2008. He had previously announced that he would release a new LP titled ‘Liquid Swords 2: The Return Of The Shadowboxer’ in 2012, but subsequently revealed that work on the album had been shelved while he worked on another as-yet-untitled project.